Whilst on my city break to Kraków, me and my girlfriend booked onto a days excursion into the Tatra Mountains, more specifically Zakopane. Whilst on this excursion we visit a traditional mountain village, a place to try flavoured Vodka and a Polish cheese called Redykołka.
We also visited the Thermal Baths in Chocolow. But in between this we visited the mountain city called Zakopane. Whilst in Zakopane we also had a trip on the cable car up to Gubałówka. The views were stunning and one of the best sights I have ever seen. Zakopane is year round tourist destination which has a lively market, bustling high street and many different restaurants and pubs.
The beer scene in Zakopane is large as a result of the growing craft beer scene in Poland. Many bars and restaurants serve regional brews which are often enjoyed after a day of hiking and exploring. Mountain scene is definitely one of the most rewarding beer views.
Zakopane was a City I strive to return as there was simply so much to do and not enough time to see everything. However, whilst browsing different stores and market stalls I saw different types of beer from the area. I got two to try from a brewery called Zakopiańczyk and one from Zbôjeckie. During the course of this review I will cover each of them and include information on the history, the pour and the taste and aroma. Time for review number one on Zakopiańczyk Źurawinowy.
Zakopiańczyk Źurawinowy: A very fruity start to the review
Zakopiańczyk is a brand line from the small Grybów brewery called Browar Pilsvar. In May 2015, this was launched as part of Pilsvar’s local beers. Zakopiańczyk also covers another beer which I will discuss shortly. The information on Zakopiańczyk is quite limited so apologies for the short history section. Anyways the beer, Źurawinowy is a dark fruit beer which has a deep cranberry flavouring. This has an ABV of 6% and is brewed using four different malt types. This is sold in 500ml bottles. I was initially nervous to try this as I was unsure what to expect as I don’t know Polish so like a lot of the beers I tried on my city break I guessed. I did some digging and found out that this was a dark beer and I am not the biggest fan of dark beers ordinarily. I will let you know my opinion on this beer as the review goes on.
A dark beer pour
When pouring this beer, it had a very distinct dark ruby colour to it. I feel the addition of cranberry gave it a slight red tone. This was closer to a dark lager than a traditional dark fruit beer. Once it was poured a slightly beige head formed which left a decent amount of lacing around the glass. There was a steady and visible amount of bubbles which kind of made the beer look more reminiscent of Coca Cola.
A surprising taste and aroma
When taking your first wiff of this beer you will instantly get smacked with a presence of cranberry which is almost like a sweet tart sensation. Underneath the cranberry, is a soft malt base which gives it a slight caramel smell. I could also smell a slight hint of herbal flavours.
When tasting this beer at first you will definitely and unavoidably taste the cranberry which is more sweet than sour. Half way through the taste you will notice a subtle caramel maltiness and towards the end a lingering bitterness along with the jam after taste. This is overall a pleasant tasting tipple however there is little more than the overwhelming cranberry taste.
My verdict on Źurawinowy
Firstly, this wasn’t a beer I usually go for. Secondly, I am neither a massive fan of fruit beer or dark beer. However, this was pleasantly refreshing for me. It had a nice carbonation and sweetness which added more body. Obviously, the beer was overpoweringly flavoured with cranberry with slight hints of caramel malt. This was a nice beer but I don’t feel I would go crazy for this if it was in the UK as it had a very basic flavour. My verdict is 3 out of 5 which means it’s better than average but not world beating. Now moving onto my second Pilsvar Zakopiańcsyk beer.
A Tatra Mountain IPA, Zakopiańcsyk Jasne India Pale Ale
The history of this beer is pretty much the same as the Źurawinowy. Jasne means light so this is a light IPA. This is part of their local beer lines based in the mountains. This is a 4.9% ABV IPA. This appears to be hopped with Citra, Mosaic and Marynka and uses many different malt types. This was also unfiltered and pasteurised.
A typical india pale ale pour
It has a typical caramel golden straw appearance. The Jasne IPA has a slight haze to it which is typical of an IPA. It had an adequate level of carbonation along with a foamy light head which left a decent amount of haze around the glass. Very inviting indeed.
Time for taste and aroma
When pouring this beer, your nose is instantly hit with the hoppy aroma from the citra and mosaic hops which present a mixture of tropical and citrus notes. I feel this could also stray into the realm of miodowa which means honey which I could have slightly smelled.
When sipping this beer, I noticed a slight citrus taste and mild bitterness. This also had a hoppiness which again is probably from the hops I discussed earlier. It is medium bodied which is from the unfiltered nature of this beer. I feel this doesn’t pack the punch that a typical IPA holds. It’s still refreshing and drinkable but I feel this is more reminiscent of budget real ale from Morrisons or Tesco. It does the job but it’s not brilliant.
Time for my verdict
I feel this beer was quite underwhelming in my eyes. I hoped this would be great especially coming from a small brewery. It was still drinkable and still tasted nice but it really could have been more. As I remarked before, it does the job but when I am going for niche mountain beers I expect a lot more. This beer is getting a 3 out of 5 in my ratings. It needs a more IPA punch. Now moving onto the beer by Zbójeckie.
A really top notch pilsner by Zbójeckie
This is a beer I bought from a market stall that sold cheese in Zakopane. From my research I think this was brewed by Smaki Podhala which translates to ‘tastes of podhale’ which is the mountainous region around Zakopane in the Tatra foothills. This brand appears to promote local and traditional food and drink. This was founded in 2012 as a family business and I believe they sell their alcoholic beverages around the region. Similar to Zakopiańcysk, Zbójeckie is part of a region brand.
Zbójeckie Pils is a pilsner which packs an ABV of 5%. It is hopped with Magnum and Saaz hops along with pils malts.
A stereotypical pilsner pour
When the pilsner is poured, a pale golden colour is apparent with a straw hue. It has a head roughly 2 fingers thick which is dense and leaves a thick lacing down the glass. In terms of carbonation, there is a fine, steady stream of bubbles rising from the bottom.
Time for the taste and aroma
On the nose you are hit with the hops instantly. It has a classic herbal smell from the Saaz hops with a subtle spice. It had a soft sweetness which is almost biscuit like and clean. Overall, this smells crisp and refreshing with no overwhelming aroma. A very no nonsense pilsner.
When it comes to taste, this is mildly hop forward beer which makes it easy drinking and not overpowering. It is quite herbal and floral with a malt backbone reminiscent of cracker or bread. It finishes with a very dry finish which is refreshing on the palate. Overall, this does exactly what it needs to do as a pilsner. Very easy drinking and herbal. Very good pilsner and I will hopefully try again.
Time for my verdict
This beer is a classic example of a very good pilsner. I really rate this one. It was easy drinking and refreshing. Its herbal notes gave it some depth but not too overpowering. This beer gets a decent 4 out of 5 as its does what it is meant to do.
My opinion overall on these beers
I feel these were a mixed bag, some I was pleasantly surprised by and others I was let down by. I feel Zbójeckie Pils was the best beer as its pilsner was very good and it did exactly what it needed to do. The Zakopiańcysk Źurawinowy really surprised me with the flavour as I am not usually a fan of fruit or dark beers. The cranberry flavour was very pleasant and the body made it quite refreshing. On the other hand, Zakopiańcysk Jasne IPA kind of underwhelmed me to be honest. I feel the depth of flavour could have been improved on. But this was still drinkable. Overall, all the beers were drinkable and were certainly not bad beers at all.
Where did I buy these beers from if you are visiting Zakopane?
So I bought Zakopiańcsyk Źurawinowy from a shop in Chocholow village called Pokusa sklep spożywczo przemysłowy. I bought Zbójeckie Pils from a market stall in Zakopane on the street called Na Gubałówkę. Finally, Zakopiańcsyk Jasne IPA was bought from a store on the street called Krupówki.
Cheers for reading this, if you like it, feel free to check out my other blog post beer reviews.
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